by Ed Ruggero

On a recent fall afternoon, ten business executives, men and women, stood shoulder to shoulder on a Pennsylvania ridge and looked left and right to conjure up the image of the nearly fifteen thousand Confederate soldiers who walked this same ground on July 3, 1863. Those men stepped from the woods in a line a mile wide and, in places, eight men deep. Their commanders were Pettigrew and Armistead, Garnett and Lane. But the assault would, in the history books, bear only one name, that of George Pickett.

Pickett’s Charge was the climax of the battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the Civil War in the East. Walking the path of Pickett’s charge turned out to be the climax of our visit, too. We had come to Gettysburg for a “Leadership Experience,” in which I use stories of the battle to teach practical, usable lessons on modern-day leadership. The visit helped the audience see and feel, as no history book ever could, the challenges that faced Civil War commanders in the most famous clash on American soil. In discussions on the field, over meals and in a follow-up meeting, I led them on an exploration of how the principles within these stories can benefit business today. (Only two participants considered themselves history buffs, but everyone, even an Englishwoman not familiar with American history, participated in the discussions of leadership.) 

In July 1863, the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E. Lee, fought a three-day battle against the Union Army of the Potomac on the hills and fields around the tiny cross-roads town. We started our visit at McPherson’s Ridge, where Federal Cavalryman John Buford, arriving first on the field, made critical decisions that secured the high ground for the Union. Operating independently of the rest of the army, and with very little guidance, Buford and his lightly armed cavalrymen held off the advancing Confederates until strong Federal forces reached the field. Buford’s actions are a study in decisive leadership amid murky, ill-defined conditions, incomplete information and high pressure.

On Seminary Ridge, we talked about General Robert E. Lee, about decision-making in large organizations, and about how culture affects what’s possible. Lee did not share his vision for success with his subordinate commanders. What’s more, he failed to adjust his leadership style to the new realities of his organization, and frequently gave orders that were subject to misinterpretation. All of these things led to costly failures. 

Later we visited the hill called Little Round Top, where I told stories about Joshua Chamberlain, a Bowdoin College professor turned warrior. On July 2, 1863, Chamberlain’s regiment, the 20th Maine, held the extreme left of the Union Army. If they failed to hold against enemy assaults, the Confederates could knock the entire Federal army loose from its position, opening the door for Lee to attack Washington, DC. 

Late in the afternoon on July 2nd, the blue-coated soldiers were low on ammunition, their ranks decimated by the close-quarters fight. Chamberlain suspected his enemy, gathering at the bottom of the wooded slope, was just as exhausted; but they were coming again. The Maine men couldn’t go back, and they couldn’t await another assault with no ammunition. There was nothing in his limited experience of being a soldier that told Chamberlain what to do, so he improvised. When the Alabama men came up the slope, Chamberlain’s 20th Maine charged, clashing in a desperate, hand-to-hand fight on the smoke-covered hillside. The unexpected maneuver broke the last Confederate attack, saved the position and—quite possibly—the entire battle. 

Chamberlain’s actions are an exemplar of inspired, creative leadership. Our discussion dug into how leaders develop imagination and courage in themselves and in others. We learned how organizations prepare for challenges they cannot foresee, and explored why the leader’s character is so important to the organization.

We ended our day walking the long mile that was the route of Pickett’s Charge, where those fifteen thousand Confederates made a desperate, almost superhuman effort to break the Federal line. We stopped several times along the way, imagining the crash of artillery the scythe of musket fire. We saw where just a few hundred Confederates pierced the Union line, rushing right at the cannon’s mouth to reach the high water mark of the invasion and the war. This was the most moving and memorable aspect of our visit. It was this walk—and the physical connection to the place and those men—that helped the participants open up when it came time to discuss their own challenges. 

My clients were inspired by their visit to what Abraham Lincoln called “this hallowed ground.” They left Gettysburg with battle-tested tools for leading in tough times. These stories and those lessons on leadership are available for your team in a shared experience that will challenge them intellectually, touch them emotionally, and equip them to lead better.

Author and Speaker Ed Ruggero brings leadership lessons to life in visits to the battlefields at Gettysburg and in Normandy. Ed is the author of nine books and a frequent speaker at national conventions and corporate leadership meetings. To learn more, visit www.edruggero.com.